Standing Strong
by NevErEndiNgbElieF
Summary: A bad cold plus a mild case of food poisoning- Kuroko tries to prove that he wasn't some weak person as he goes to school despite feeling a little off. He does his best to make sure no one worries and hopes that he'll be able to pull it off before the day ends. But will it work? Or will Kagami and the rest of the Seirin team notice? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello there! This is actually my first fic in this fandom and I hope it turns out great! Please enjoy! :D**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

"_I think I caught a cold."_

"_Hn… don't let it pull you down."_

Sky blue eyes snapped open before darting around the room automatically. Kuroko blinked a couple of times before sighing silently. He buried his face against the warm blankets that he had cocooned himself into.

"Ksh!" He tried to stifle the sneeze that unexpectedly came.

He suddenly didn't feel so good.

He sighed once more. It was no secret of how Kuroko's physical state was the weakest of all the team and how Riko had pointed out how he was nearing his limit. But it didn't matter to Kuroko, as long as he did his duty and played the sport he loved. In a way he was still an athlete.

He was still strong.

He was able to prove this to his former teammates by beating them with skills alone. Though he knew that soon, he would have to face the downside of not actually meeting the required state a strong player should have.

A memory of his graduating year in Teiko flashes in his mind. He remembered being inside the classroom leaning against his desk feeling a little off and cold. And it was also the winter season at that time—

"Aksh!" Kuroko almost couldn't stop the next sneeze.

He felt a little warm and cold at that moment, and was pretty sure he was coming down with something.

Suddenly, his stomach groaned and he knew that wasn't from hunger. He remembered yesterday, Momoi had barged in to school to deliver him an obento. Remembering her skills were just as worse as the coach's, he wanted to refuse. But Momoi was in the verge of tears and not to mention, Aomine was there to make sure he would consume _everything_ and to not leave a single speck of rice.

Why the sudden interest Momoi had on making an obento and had to go to Seirin just to deliver it—Kuroko did not know, nor could he find himself caring for said reason… because right at the moment he needed the bathroom.

He almost didn't make it to the toilet when he practically emptied his stomach.

The sneezing was bad enough, now he had to deal with possible food-poisoning?

Seriously, two sicknesses in one day? Kuroko had a new record. He was now pretty certain that the sneezing was a sign of the usual cold he always gets during cold winter seasons like this. Not _all_ the time though… just most of it.

And as for the food-poisoning… obviously Momoi had one of coach's dreaded skills—delayed poisoning. Kuroko shivered at the random thought of those two cooking a meal _together_. He tentatively wiped his mouth and flushed the toilet.

Maybe he should excuse himself…

"_If you want to be strong, you have to learn to set your weaknesses aside."_

…aside from practice he really had that important quiz today too. He doubt he could excuse himself with an excuse letter, not without a guardian to sign it (living alone and all).

And the teacher who was going to give the exam was one of those 'merciless' kind—the ones who never give a second chance for special exams unless there's a real emergency. Kuroko sighed as he immediately knew what he was supposed to do. He stood up and started filling the tub with warm water.

A nice hot bath might make things better.

He'll be able to pull it off somehow. He was strong after all.

* * *

The bell was ringing as he arrived. Though Kuroko's face was blank as ever, he inwardly winced. He just missed morning practice… Riko would surely chew his head off.

He made his way to his classroom and entered. No one noticed him (as usual) and quickly sat on his desk. He could feel his stomach ache and he automatically clutched it. He was actually relieved that the possible food poisoning may not be as serious as he thought, coz if it was—he would've been writhing on his desk in pain and would be throwing up on the toilet every second.

He let out a soft exhale as the pain subsided for a second.

He heard the classroom door open and saw a familiar red-head enter. A few of his classmates greeted him, and Kagami politely greeted them back.

Seemed like Kagami was getting better with all those practices of polite speaking.

As expected, Kagami didn't even look his way as he sat in front of him. Either it was because of his usual lack of presence or it had something to do with Kagami's spaced-out look… he seemed like he was worrying about something.

Kuroko was about to open his mouth to greet him and enjoy the surprise look the other might make, but was beaten by a sneeze.

"Aksh!"

Though this wasn't what he planned for, he still enjoyed how Kagami practically fell over his chair in surprise with a pathetic scream. Kuroko mentally gives him a 10.

Amidst the snickers of the others, Kuroko asked, "Are you okay, Kagami-kun?"

"K-Kuroko!" Kagami was immediately on his feet. And Kuroko was momentarily surprised when he saw the concern on his light's face. Usually, he would look pissed, "Where have you been? You didn't attend morning practice and coach was worried sick-" –seems like she wasn't the only one who was worried- "-you weren't answering our texts too."

Kuroko blinked, "Ah…" He was speechless for a moment, "Sumimasen… I got up late."

Should he tell him that he wasn't feeling well too?

"_Hn… don't let it pull you down."_

"And my phone was on silent." He wasn't feeling _that_ sick anymore. He still felt a little warm and his stomach had this continuous ache, but other than that, he felt fine.

Kagami sagged in obvious relief and Kuroko couldn't stop the small smile, "Sorry for worrying you."

"What?!" Kagami went bright red, "Who said I was worried?"

"You're worse than Midorima-kun…"

"What was that?!"

"Ahem."

The two turned to the teacher beside them. Said teacher looked ready to explode.

"Classes are already starting and I suggest you to be quiet Kagami Taiga!"

Kuroko blinked as he realized he wasn't mentioned, "Ano… sensei…"

The teacher paused and snapped his head towards his direction, "Eh? How long have you been there?"

* * *

"Seriously, your invisibility still surprises me." Kuroko looked at Kagami, who was busy stuffing his notes in his bag, "Isn't it a little dangerous too? I mean, what if you had to cross a road and drivers don't see you?"

"Hm…" Kuroko stared, "…it has happened before."

"WHAT?!" Kagami twisted around with wide, round eyes, "But I get away all the time—aksh!" Kuroko covered his mouth, "Ah, sumimasen." Came his muffled apology.

Once again the worried look was back on Kagami's face, "Hey, you sure you're okay? You've been sneezing lately."

"Hai." Kuroko replied, "My nose just itched."

Kagami looked at him doubtfully, while his face remained neutral.

"Lunch time will end soon." Kuroko reminded and quickly his friend was on his feet.

"That's right! We better hurry or we'd get caught up by the lunch rush!" Kagami was instantly by the door and Kuroko quickly catches up to him.

**KnB**

"Hey look! It's Kuroko!" The freshmen duo turned to see their two seniors, Hyuga and Izuki.

"Konnichiwa." Kuroko bowed politely. Kagami tried to greet as well, however his mouth was stuffed with melon bread.

"Where were you this morning?" Izuki asked, looking just as concerned as Kagami was earlier, "Riko had been worried sick. You never missed morning practice."

Kuroko took a bite of his sandwich, "Sumimasen, I woke up late today."

"Oi Kuroko, Riko will kill you if she hears you say that."Hyuga shook his head disapprovingly.

"Sumima-ksh!"

Both seniors jumped in surprise while Kagami swallowed whatever he was chewing, "Kuroko, are you sure that's normal? You've been sneezing a lot."

"It is."

"Don't put it so bluntly like that!"

Izuki looked worried, "Are you coming down with something?"

"I'm fine." Kuroko replied bluntly, "My nose just itched."

Hyuga and Izuki exchanged uncertain looks, "If you say so."

"For a moment there Riko thought you got sick from eating that bento your girlfriend made you."

"Momoi-san isn't my girlfriend." Kuroko reminded.

"That can't be. The bento looked fine to me." Kagami commented, "Coach is just probably jealous of her cooking.

"The egg roll… rolled." Izuke spoke.

"Pfft- how lame!" Hyuga sputtered.

Kuroko was about to take another bite from his sandwich, when his stomach suddenly did a horrible lurch. The light-haired teen dropped his food in a nearby bin and quickly rushed to the direction of the bathroom. He was relieved to hear the laughs of the others as it was an obvious sign that they didn't notice him disappear.

He couldn't be more thankful of his lack of presence.

* * *

The sound of the bell ringing interrupted the conversation of Kagami and the two seniors.

"Ah, we should get going." Hyuga then said, "We'll go tell Riko that Kuroko's fine."

"Tell her to go easy on him though. He seems—" Kagami paused as he realized his partner wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Arre? Where's Kuroko?" Izuki seemed to have noticed this as well.

"He must've went ahead." Hyuga guessed, "We should get going."

"Ah, see you later in practice." Kagami said as he watched his two teammates leave. As he was about to head his way back to his own classroom, he halted as his attention was caught by a nearby trash bin. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar sandwich inside it. His split eyebrows crinkled while he frowned deeply at the ominous feeling that settled in his guts.

**KnB**

Kuroko flushed the toilet while wiping his mouth. Sweat trickled down the side of his face as he panted. He staggered slightly as he left the stall and made his way to the faucet. He splashed some cold water on his fevered face and tried to slap his cheeks to bring back some color on his already pale look.

He licked his dry lips and he couldn't help but wish for a bottle of cold water right at that moment. But he was honestly concerned of the thought of him throwing up the liquid if he did drink some.

He sneezed once more and he tried to stifle a groan at the headache that resulted from it.

"_If you're sick, suck it up…"_

The bell rang and Kuroko straightened up. He wasted no time wiping his wet face with the tissue paper nearby and quickly rushed out the bathroom.

On his way to his classroom he meets up with Kiyoshi and Mitobe.

"Ah Kuroko!" Kiyoshi beamed, but Kuroko immediately noticed the sudden seriousness that flashed in his eyes and the frown that appeared on Mitobe's face.

"Sumimasen sempai." He paused to bow politely, and to keep them from looking at his face, "…but I have to hurry."

"O-oi." Kiyoshi turned to call his kouhai back but Kuroko was gone.

_-Classroom-_

The phantom player sighed in relief as he noticed that the teacher hasn't arrived yet. The next class, after all, was the important quiz they had to take.

He sits on his chair and took out his notes for some last minute studying. He heard the classroom door sliding open and looked up, expecting to see the teacher, only to see Kagami panting in exhaustion.

Unlike earlier this morning, Kagami immediately noticed him and practically stormed his way towards him.

"_KU-RO-KO._"

"Ah, Kagami-kun, you made it."

"Don't give me that crap! I looked all over for you! You could've at least told me where you went!"

"Last I checked, we weren't in a relationship." Kuroko smiled a little as his partner sputtered, "Sh-shut up! Ugh! Screw you!"

Kagami promptly collapsed on his seat, and Kuroko felt a bit guilty seeing his partner tired. However, before he could open his mouth to make amends, the teacher had entered, carrying a stack of papers in one arm.

"Alright, settle down." The teacher puts the papers on his desk, "Put away your notes and take out your pens."

There were some shuffling sounds as everyone did as they were told. Kuroko suddenly noticed Kagami looking stiff.

"Kagami-kun?"

Kagami slowly turned to him, looking sweaty, "There's a test?"

Kuroko blinked a couple of times before nodding.

**KnB**

The shadow couldn't help but stare at Kagami who kept ruffling his hair; struggling to find the answers. He felt a little sorry that his light was having a hard time and wanted to share his own answers to him to apologize for earlier but stiffened as he felt the familiar lurch in his stomach.

Meanwhile, Kagami tried to hold back a groan as he looked through the paper filled with unfamiliar questions. He remembered this being part of the notes he had copied from Kuroko. The thought of his shadow suddenly made a vein pop.

If only he didn't decide to look for that brat just because he saw his sandwich in a bin—then maybe he could've saved some time and crammed a bit.

He unconsciously turned around to glare at Kuroko, but his eyes widened to find Kuroko… gone.

He couldn't have gone invisible! That was impossible—he was sure he was there earlier!

"Oi! Kagami!" The teacher approached him with a glare, "No cheating!"

Kagami turned to him, "What?! I wasn't cheating-ow!"

The teacher had hit him with a paper fan, "What gives?! There's no one—" Before he could even finish his sentence, he was immediately stunned to see Kuroko on his seat, looking at him questioningly. He was sure he wasn't there earlier.

"Answering back to your teacher?" The adult took Kagami's test paper and left, "That'll teach you."

Kagami just stared at the teacher with his jaw slacked. Finally he collapsed back on his chair and slumped, feeling pissed.

"Kagami-kun…?"

"Urusai!"

…very pissed.

**TBC...**

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_**What do you think? Please Review! ^^**_

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	2. Chapter 2

**_Next chapter? Anyone? :)_**

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_**Chapter 2**_

Kuroko watched as Kagami practically stormed off after classes were done. The other had been acting like that since he had snuck back in the classroom during the quiz earlier, after making a quick visit to the bathroom.

He gathered his things as quick as he could and tried to catch up with his friend.

"Kagami-kun!" He tried to call out while panting. His head pounded and for a moment the world tilted causing him to bump into a student. As he was sure he was about to hit the floor, a hand caught him by his arm. He looked up to see Kagami, still looking pissed, though he wasn't looking at him.

"Why are you upset?" Kuroko couldn't help but ask rather than apologize.

Instead of answering, Kagami pulled him roughly on his feet and continued on his way. Kuroko frowned and followed either way, "Kagami-kun—aksh!"

Kagami turned to him with a frown on his face. This time however, it didn't seem like he was frowning out of anger but more from worry. As soon as he noticed this though, he quickly looked away and said, "Come on, coach will kill us if we're late."

Kuroko was a little relieved to hear the lack of anger in his tone, "Hai—ksh!"

**KnB**

_-Gym-_

"Overslept, huh?" Riko said with a sickly sweet smile.

Kuroko felt his sweat trickle down the side of his face. As much as the team was relieved to see one of their aces okay, Riko wasn't merciful at all, "I guess you'll just have to make up for this morning's practice."

Kuroko couldn't help the wince at what Riko was trying to imply.

"Make five laps around the gym. Outside."

Kuroko tried not to remember how cold he was feeling at the moment and tried to ignore the splitting headache and his painful stomach.

"Maybe that's a little too much, neh?" Kiyoshi appeared next to her, "The weather outside is freezing."

Riko looked like she was contemplating his words. Her eyes then softened, "Alright, inside the gym then. But make that seven laps."

Kuroko let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "Hai."

As he left to do his laps, Hyuga appears next to Kiyoshi, "Seven laps? I thought you'd give him at least fifteen or something."

"We both know he won't make it." Riko huffed; she knew better than to push her players too much. She then turned to Kuroko and watched the other start his laps before making a concerned look, "Kuroko-kun… he seems a little off don't you think?"

"Aksh!" Kuroko stumbled a bit at the sudden sneeze.

"_What was that?" Murasakibara asked looking far from curious. He looked back, as he jogged._

_Kuroko wiped his nose, "Sumimasen, it was me."_

"_Eh? Kurokocchi?" Kise turned to him while jogging backwards._

"_Hm? Don't tell me you're coming down with something."Midorima adjusted his glasses._

"_I think I caught a cold."_

"_Hn…" Aomine gave him that dull look, "…don't let it pull you down."_

Kuroko shadowed his eyes at the memory. Riko's whistle echoed and he looked up to see the team dividing into two groups from the sticks they drew. The purpose, the coach lectured, was to learn how to be in sync no matter whom you were playing with.

The phantom player sniffed as he wiped his nose with his shirt.

Riko's whistle echoed throughout the gym once more and his eyes widened as the scene before him changes all of a sudden.

"_If you're sick, suck it up." Kuroko stared up at the coach as his eyes remained blank, "If you want to be strong, you have to learn to set your weaknesses aside."_

_He tried to ignore the worried look of Momoi and the blank stares his teammates gave him._

"_Teiko does not tolerate weak players."_

_He ignored the emptiness that grew within him._

"_Our goal is to be on top of everyone else and to always __**win**__."_

Another whistle pierced through his hearing and Kuroko winced at the headache that accompanied it. The world tilted once more and he held on to the wall for balance. He listened to the sound of the ball dribbling and the squeaks of the players' shoes.

Slowly he straightened himself as the uncharacteristic anger grew within him and gave him the temporary strength to keep him on his feet.

"_If you want to be strong, you have to learn to set your weaknesses aside."_

How could he have let the coach… the school manipulate him like this?

What quiz? What practice?

Who was he kidding? He could've excused himself with ease from that test and Riko would've understood. He should've seen it—the real reason why he went to school and kept hiding to Kagami about how awful he really felt.

He was merely proving to no one… that he was _strong_.

"_Teiko does not tolerate weak players."_

The sudden pain that shot up in his stomach got him on his knees. He balanced one hand on the ground while the other was wrapped tightly on his stomach. The blank stares of his previous teammates flashed beneath his shut eyes.

"_Our goal is to be on top of everyone else and to always __**win**__."_

He listened to the game that continued and tiredly looked up. He didn't know if he should be relieved or worried that they haven't noticed yet. His eyes widened as he thought Kagami turned to look at him.

"_Stand up." Akashi's hand suddenly appeared in front of him._

He was greatly mistaken as he realized his partner was just staring at the ball that Izuki had passed to Koganei. He tried to stand, but the pain was unbearable that he had to double over and gasp.

"_Stand up, Tetsuya." Akashi said, sounding a little more firm._

He felt like puking, but there was nothing else to throw up. Cheers suddenly erupted right after hearing the loud slam of a certain slam dunk.

"Kagami's pumped!"

Kuroko heard one of his fellow first years spoke. He felt a small twitch at the side of his mouth. At least Kagami was able to release some frustrations from the test earlier. His stomach lurched once more and his sweaty hand tried to find support on the ground as he started heaving.

"GO KAGAMI!"

_Cold mismatched eyes bore through him. "Stand up before you disgrace yourself further."_

Disappointment washed over him as he shut his eyes tightly. It must be the fever getting to him as he randomly thought of how pathetic he was for thinking he could be strong. The real strong player here was the one making the shots at the moment, not the one who was practically on his knees dry-heaving.

He was… _weak_.

Cheers echoed the gym as the winner was finally decided. Kuroko couldn't move because the pain just kept getting worse when he tried to.

Deep inside, he hoped no one would notice him. That no one would see him and would momentarily forget him. He had been able to hide his presence easily without talking or moving, so if he was lucky—

"Aksh!" The jolt that accompanied the sneeze got him clawing on the ground. The arm around his stomach tightened and he listened for his friends if they noticed.

"You were so cool Kagami!"

"You were really pumped up, weren't you?"

"Tch! Of course I was! The stupid teacher pissed me off!"

Kuroko breathed heavily. Good. They didn't notice him yet.

"_Stand up, Tetsuya."_

The light-haired boy winced at Akashi's words and made another attempt to stand, but failed miserably. He caught a slight movement somewhere in front of him and he looked up to see a certain orange ball roll to a stop.

_I once hated basketball._

His blank eyes stared coldly at the ball that laid a couple of feet in front of him. He blamed the sport for changing his friends… for every good things he now lost… but…

A pair of red shoes approached the ball and in the background the chatter and cheers continued.

Truly, the ball held more presence than him. How humiliating…

"_What was that?"_

"_If you're sick, suck it up."_

"_Eh? Kurokocchi?"_

"_Teiko does not tolerate weak players."_

"_Hm? Don't tell me you're coming down with something."_

"_If you want to be strong, you have to learn to set your weaknesses aside."_

"_Hn… don't let it pull you down."_

"_Our goal is to be on top of everyone else and to always __**win**__."_

"_Stand up before you disgrace yourself further."_

He watched as Kagami kept his eyes trained on the ball before reaching to pick it up. He still hasn't noticed him yet.

Good.

No…

Not good…

It never had been. Keeping things from Kagami… from his team… he let out a shaky breath and slowly reached his hand out to touch the icon of the sport he loves.

There was a soft tap as he managed to hold it just as Kagami's hands appeared at its sides. He watched as those hands stiffened in surprise and looked up to see his light turning to him in confusion. He opened his mouth—probably to say his name—but left it hanging as his eyes widened in shock—shock that he never got to see no matter how many times he had surprised the other with his lack of presence.

Time seemed to pause between them and the noises seemed to have been shut out for a moment. Kuroko couldn't help but wonder how horrible he must've looked for his light to look like that.

He tried to smile through the pain, "C-Congratulations, Ka…gami-kun."

And just like that, he lost his strength and fell forward. He braced for the impact of the floor but was surprised to feel arms support him. He cringed as Kagami shouted with so much panic, "Coach! Captain! I need help! It's Kuroko!"

"What? What happened?!"

"Kuroko-kun?!"

"What's wrong with him!?"

"Call the school nurse! Quick!"

"Oi, Kuroko! Answer me!" He felt Kagami shake him and he tried to voice out how uncomfortable it felt being shook like that, but much to his surprise, different words came out of his mouth instead,

"Gomen… for not standing strong."

He felt the other stiffen and he could immediately tell his consciousness was fading.

"Kuso, why didn't we notice before?"

"Kagami…" Hyuga's voice sounded distant, "Can you move him— Kagami?"

And just as he was about to completely black out, he felt a huge hand push his head to lie down on broad shoulders. Kagami's fading voice was the last thing he heard,

"What the heck are you talking about?! You idiot!"

_**TBC**_

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Review please? :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Last Chap!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

"_Kurokocchi! Over here!"_

_Kuroko hits the ball towards Kise and winced as he realized his timing was off. Fortunately, Kise didn't seem to notice as he caught the ball and flawlessly broke through the defense of their opponents before shooting the ball towards the basket._

_The ball went through without even touching the ring and the gym was immediately filled with the cheers of Kise's fangirls._

_Kuroko cringed._

_The ball was now in the hands of the enemy and the Generation of Miracle quickly sets up their defense. Kuroko scanned the players before zeroing on the ball. His eyes then turned to Midorima who was being blocked by an opponent and quickly saw an opening._

_He watched as the ball bounced on the ground before rushing towards the opponent who still didn't notice him._

_Just as he was behind the player, he loses focus as his vision blurred momentarily. The opponent had noticed him but he still made an attempt to steal the ball, however Aomine showed up from out of nowhere and stole it effortlessly._

_The opponents quickly went after Aomine who sprinted towards the opponent's basket._

_No one had noticed the sixth member who was on his knees, panting in exhaustion. Kuroko tried to stand, but his whole body felt heavy and he couldn't move._

"_Stand up." He looked up to see Akashi holding out a hand._

_He hesitated. He was so exhausted and sick… he didn't know if he had enough strength to—_

"_Stand up, Tetsuya."_

_Blue eyes widened in alert at the firm tone of his captain. He felt eyes on him and he turned to see the coach looking at him disapprovingly. He looked back at Akashi's merciless mismatched eyes._

"_Stand up before you disgrace yourself further."_

_He shakily accepted his hand and let the other pull him to his feet. He couldn't meet his gaze anymore and pursed his lips, _

"_Gomen… for not standing strong."_

_Akashi merely walked past him._

"_Don't disappoint me too much, Tetsuya."_

"I knew something was off."

Kuroko's eyes snapped open and he immediately spots Kagami in front of him, sitting beside the bed he was apparently lying on. He didn't bother to wonder where he was, since it was so obvious.

"That's right. Izuki and I noticed as well." He was surprised to hear Hyuga. He shifted to look at the other occupants and apparently, no one still noticed him awake.

"We actually saw Kuroko yesterday when we passed the bathroom earlier this afternoon." Kiyoshi remembered as he gestured to himself and Mitobe, "He looked horrible."

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Kagami demanded.

"Aho! If someone was supposed to say something, it should be you! You two are classmates right?!" Hyuga snapped.

"Kora-!"

"That's enough." Everyone was silenced as they turned to Riko who had been staring out the window, looking at the orange sky. She looked angry and guilty at the same time, "If you keep making noise, the nurse will kick us out."

It wouldn't take a mind-reader to know what Riko was thinking. It was probably somewhere along the lines of how she had the responsibility as the coach to observe his team's health and physical state, and had apparently, failed miserably.

Kuroko felt guilty. It wasn't entirely her fault. It was mostly his for keeping his sickness a secret.

There was a moment of silence and Kiyoshi decided to diminish the gloomy atmosphere, "Maa, maa. Everyone cheer up. Why don't we go to Maji Burger and get some dinner?"

"It's unhealthy easting fast food all the time you know." Izuki sighed while Mitobe nodded in agreement.

"It's not that bad." Kagami grumbled.

"We don't really have much choice since it's the nearest restaurant. We can get Kuroko a vanilla milkshake too. That's what he likes right? So that when he wakes up—"

"Idiot! He's not allowed to drink stuff like that!"

"It would be great to drink some vanilla milkshake though." Kuroko innocently spoke up and everyone halted.

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko rushed to his side while he struggled to sit up, "Are you alright?"

"Hai." He turned to Riko and made a small bow, "Sorry for making you worry."

"We're so glad you're awake!" Izuki smiled, looking very much relieved, "We thought you'd never wake up."

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Hyuga asked, looking annoyed and concerned at the same time, "The doctor says you can't take any drinks at the moment and would have to stick to a soft diet. They said the food poisoning was just mild and only got worse because of your cold."

"I feel fine. My stomach doesn't hurt that much anymore." Kuroko answered a little more truthfully this time.

"That's good!" Kiyoshi beamed, "Maybe we could actually sneak you some Vanilla milkshakes!"

"Is that what you were only thinking about?!"

"Oi Kiyoshi, don't be an idiot!"

"Geez. At least Kuroko-kun's okay now."

The light-haired teen smiled softly, but then his smile vanished as he noticed Kagami being strangely quiet.

"Now that I know Kuroko's going to be fine-" –"Who said he wouldn't be!?"—"I feel really hungry." Kiyoshi said as he stretched, "I'll go buy some food." His brown eyes landed on the coach, "How about you, Riko?"

She immediately got the message, "Un. I'm coming too. Come on Izuki-kun, Hyuga-kun. Kagami-kun, you stay with Kuroko-kun. We'll buy you your dinner."

Kuroko watched in confusion as they said their goodbyes before finally leaving. As the door shut, silence fell upon them. It was so silent that Kuroko found it too strange that he decided to speak up first—but was beaten by Kagami.

"Kuroko… gomen. I should've noticed something was wrong. Captain was right, we were classmates and I should've at least said something. If only I didn't get so pissed because of that stupid test—ITTE!" Kuroko had just smacked him on the head. Kagami turned with a pissed look, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Kagami-kun was starting to give me a headache with all the rambling." He watched as the pissed look immediately turned to concern and guilt and Kuroko tried to hold back a sigh. He was just trying to joke.

He lied down on the bed and watched as Kagami turned around to check on him, "Kagami-kun. Gomen. The fault was mine this time."

His partner looked like he was ready to retort but Kuroko raised a hand, effectively shutting him up, "I shouldn't have lied. I had been feeling unwell since I woke up this morning… and I…" The stern look of his previous coach flashed in his mind for a moment, "I shouldn't have let some past experiences stopped me from being more honest."

Kagami looked at him questioningly, "Past?"

Kuroko stared at him before turning to stare up the ceiling instead. He blew away a strand of hair on his face. His fists clenched on his stomach and finally he decides to tell his partner everything. Kagami looked stunned at first as he listened on to his story and no sooner was his expression unreadable as he neared the end.

And as soon as he finished, Kagami had downright exploded, "WHAT THE HECK?! Schools like that actually exists?!"

"Apparently so, Kagami-kun."

Kagami turned to him with a disappointed look, and for a moment there, Kuroko thought that the disappointment was directed at him, but then the red head spoke, "Gomen. I wish I could've been there to knock some senses to those idiots."

Kuroko couldn't help but smile. As expected of Kagami.

"It's fine."

"You do know, right? That you're not weak?"

Kuroko tilted his head to the other side to stare at the window and watch the sky turn to a dark shade of blue, "I'm not sure. I can never tell. I usually base that opinion from someone else."

"Well I say you're damn strong." Kagami crossed his arms, his face set with determination, "We wouldn't have made it without you, Kuroko. So don't you dare think for once second that you're weak! You'd be insulting the whole Seirin Team if you do."

Kuroko kept staring at the vanishing rays of the sunset and for a moment his vision blurred.

"You _are_ strong. Got that?" Kagami insisted, his voice turning softer, "Don't let other people tell you otherwise, baka."

Something trickled towards his pillow and Kuroko finally turned to Kagami and smiled, "Hai."

The annoyed look on his light's face melted off and was quickly replaced with a surprise one, "W-Why are you crying?!"

"Because my stomach hurts…"

"WHAT?! Should I call the doctor—"

"…from laughing too much at Kagami-kun's cheesy lines."

"W-WHA-! I DIDN'T EVEN SEE YOU LAUGHING!"

"Kagami-kun is so unobservant sometimes."

"SHUT UP!"

"No wonder why Kagami-kun didn't notice my sickness."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"Kagami-kun, I'm thirsty."

"Eh? But the doctor said you're not allowed to drink—"

"Hmm… I guess I'll just have to die from thirst."

"DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT, BAKA!"

Kuroko's smile grew as he watched Kagami hesitate as he filled a plastic cup with water.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun."

Kagami looked at him dumbly and was about to say something but was interrupted when the door slammed open.

"AH! BAKAGAMI! What do you think are you doing?! The Doctor specifically said we can't let Kuroko-kun drink anything!"

"EH?! BUT-"

"Ehh… is that so? So why did we buy a vanilla milkshake?"

"_TE-PPEI…"_

"A-ah… I thought it would be unfair if we get to eat something while Kuroko just watches us."

Kuroko sweat-dropped.

"YOU GUYS ARE SUCH IDIOTS!"

**-END-**

**EXTRA:**

"_UWAAH! TETSU-KUN GOMEN!"_

Kuroko cringed as he distanced his phone from his ear, "Momoi-san, it's fine."

Kagami who sat next to Kuroko looked up curiously as he unwrapped the obento he made for his friend, "Ah, that's the girl who food-poisoned you?"

Kuroko gave him a warning look.

"_I'll do anything to make it up to you, Tetsu-kun!"_

Kagami sweat-dropped, _'Maybe you should start by apologizing in person—and not through a phone call.'_

"Ah… maybe you could tell me what you put in your obento." Kuroko blinked.

"_Hm…? Eto… just the usual ingredients—and maybe some pills to help you digest—"_

"Pills…?"

"_Un! To help you digest the all those food. And some sports drink in the soup since I know how much you like them, Tetsu-kun!"_

"…"

"_And then I added some other pills for protein, vitamins, iron-*beep*_

Kagami stared at Kuroko with slacked jaws before shaking his head, trying to rid the shock, "Come on Kuroko, it's time to eat. I made some porridge."

"I wish you could be more considerate of how I feel right now, Kagami-kun…"

"Eh?"

* * *

_**Review?**_


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